Moonlit Dance
by Sweet Ashori
Summary: Sequel to "Rescue". Asta, Noelle, and Magna are invited to a festival in the village they had helped save on a mission gone wrong. However, things between Asta and Noelle were changing, and neither are sure what to do about it. Awkward silence leads to tender moments, and through it all they begin to realize what they may mean to each other... Asta x Noelle
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: As I stated in my previous stories, I don't own Black Clover. I just own my little headcanon.

Authoress' Note: And here I am with another! This one, I would recommend reading my previous story, Rescue, as events at the end of that story helps influences this one. Please enjoy!

Moonlit Dance

Chapter 1

Asta was distracted, he realized that. He could feel his focus being off, his swings slow, his pick up on attacks thrown at him by Magna and Luck during their training. It was a strange feeling for him and he didn't like it. This wasn't like him at all, and while he tried not to make it obvious, the others could pick up on it too.

"Hey, Rasta, what's going on up there? You sick or something? You usually never miss any of my fireballs, and I nearly got you this time!" Magna commented after they were done, taking a drink break.

"I don't know, maybe? I do feel off," Asta replied, chugging back a bottle of water.

"Well, you had been pushing it pretty hard lately. Maybe it's finally getting to you?" Luck commented, tossing back a handful of a snack mix that Charmy helped create with her sheep cooks.

"Maybe," the swordsman replied, still unsure, before turning his head towards the sound of feminine laughter.

Coming out from another section of the forest, fresh from training, was Vanessa and Noelle. They were flushed with sweat, but it didn't seem like their tiredness was getting them down. They were laughing over some sort of conversation, Noelle taking a sip of a bottle of water she brought with her. Asta's eyes lingered on her, watching as she smiled, her violet eyes sparkling with jovial pride, the sunlight beaming down on her brightly.

That... That was his distraction. He was thinking about Noelle, and he didn't fully understood why. It was two weeks ago when they, along with Magna, went on a mission to a village near the outskirts of the Clover Kingdom to gather a special plant that was rumored to have impressive healing properties. It was meant to be a simple mission, but turned quickly into a fight to protect the village. During the fight, Asta was thrown harshly into the nearby lake, knocked out by the attack. Noelle fought her hardest to save him, from dragging him back from the water to some sort of technique he had yet to figure out. However, it wasn't that part of the day that he kept thinking about; it was during that evening, after everything was said and done, that he kept thinking about.

He tried to get her to tell him exactly what she did to save him, but she didn't tell him anything. Instead, she gave him a hint... a soft, chaste kiss. He was thrown off completely by her motion; he had never been kissed by anyone like that before, and for it to be Noelle was one of the most surprising moments of his life. But it wasn't just the kiss, it was her... he had gotten up close to her before, but he never really paid attention to specific things about her. Such as how long her eyelashes were, how pale her complexion was in the sunset colors, how her eyes could be so soulful and beautiful, how soft and pink her lips were... That vision of her as she leaned back from their kiss was burned into his mind and sometimes it would just randomly pop up from his memory, causing him to stop and think of her and what had happened between them.

"Amazing" was what he thought afterward... she was amazing herself, with everything she was able to do and everything she had done since becoming a member of the Black Bulls, but the vision of her in the orange glow of the evening light was what stunned him the most. It was, by far, one of the most amazing sights he could recall seeing.

And it drove him absolutely nuts that it keeps creeping into his mind, confusing and distracting him in the most inconvenient ways. He didn't understand why she kept crawling into his mind, especially at times when he wanted to focus on training. Yet now here he was... he didn't even realize that he was starting to faintly blush the more he kept staring at the royal knight.

"You're looking a bit flushed there, Rasta," Magna stated, seeing the tinges of pink, "You sure you're okay?"

"Huh? I am?" Asta replied, "Didn't notice."

"You know if you're feeling sick, you should get some rest in bed. Don't be an idiot and push yourself."

"I agree with Magna. You won't be a strong opponent to fight if you're not at your best."

Asta didn't get the chance to reply as Vanessa and Noelle approached them. "Morning, boys," Vanessa greeted, "I see you got up early for some extra training as well."

"I'm more surprised you're even awake right now, given how hard you were hitting the bottle last night," Magna replied sarcastically, earning a glare from his compadre.

"Oh shut up!" she replied, "I promised Noelle I'd come out here to help with her training today. Which she's doing wonderful!"

"Thank you, Vanessa," the silver-haired girl replied, looking over at Asta, "How are you doing, Asta?"

"I'm fine!" he yelled a little more than necessary, surprising everyone with how loudly he spoke.

Noelle seemed to had been the most stunned, her brows furrowing in faint concern. She had noticed how different he had been acting over the last two weeks. At first she tried to pretend nothing was up, but there was only so many times she would catch him glimpsing at her then quickly turning away when he was caught,or awkward times when they were alone and passing each other by in the hallway that she could ignore before she started to realize something was up. She wondered if maybe she was the cause of his disturbed personality as of late... no, she was _certain_ that it was her. Her and her idea it was to kiss him so suddenly. She didn't regret the kiss – oh no, not at all, given the butterflies it placed in her stomach when she thought about it – but she did regret how it was making him act. She didn't mean to make him feel so uncomfortable that he acted like an embarrassed fool around her.

 _'Maybe he wanted to save his lips for Sister Lily... and I ruined that,'_ she had thought more than once since she noticed how he was around her; while she knew she shouldn't feel bad over that little fact – by now, she would've hoped he'd realize that he can't marry someone that had taken up the cloth – she actually did feel bad a little bit because of how important that idea might had been to him.

Her head tilted downward slightly, trying to avoid looking at Asta further. While the others didn't pick up on it, his green eyes noticed the small downturn and realized that he had made her upset. Before he could call out her name, the yell of Captain Yami rang through the trees.

" **Magna, Asta, Noelle, report to me at once!"**

"Ah crap... he doesn't sound too thrilled," Magna replied with an aspirated growl.

"When does he ever?" Noelle mumbled quietly to herself, then picked up her voice, "Maybe we have a mission?"

"Well, whatever it is, let's go and find out!" Asta yelled, returning his blade to his Grimoire and running back towards headquarters, leaving Noelle and Magna to follow slowly behind, no thanks to the dust he kicked up.

* * *

"A festival?"

"Yeah. Apparently every year they host a festival to celebrate the Harvest Moon. However, with the recent attack, they're still going through the process of rebuilding the village while also setting up the festival," Yami explained, taking a drag of his cigarette as he held out a piece of paper to Magna, "They've requested you three to come and help with the rest of the rebuilding and preparations, as well as wanting you to stay as guests of honor for the festival."

The three looked over the order to gather the details of what was expected. After reading everything, they nodded their heads in unison.

"We'll do it, Captain Yami."

"Good. The festival starts in two days. You're to leave out immediately. Gather anything you need and head on out."

They nodded their heads, turning around to leave the main hall. As they walked down the halls, they began to discuss the mission.

"This should be the easiest mission ever! Do a little bit of work, then spend the rest of the day partying? This is going to be great!" Magna exclaimed, "Aren't you two excited?"

"I guess so, but... I've never been to a festival," Noelle stated sheepishly, "So I'm not sure how to feel about being a guest of honor to something like this."

"EH!? Have you ever been to any sort of party or gathering?"

"Well, I've been to some things as a representative of House Silva, but I usually left after the introductions. No one really wants the failure of the house to be at a special event."

There she went again, calling herself a failure... that was one thing Asta hated that Noelle did. She was one of the most amazing people he had ever met! Her strength and ability were bar none some of the best features about her, but he hated how she would allow her family's taunts and torture cloud that part of her that she should be celebrated and proud of.

"You're not a failure, Noelle!" he yelled, stunning everyone into a halt, "Your family are the failures for pushing you away!"

"Asta," Noelle squeaked out, her face turning red as she stared at him for a moment, then turned away, "W-well, what about you? Did your village ever have festivals?"

Asta blinked, a bit confused by the question, "Yeah, of course. We would have small parties for the holidays or the equinoxes. I mean, they were tiny, but they were a lot of fun. Usually we'd always have a dance at the end of it, and all of us would fight to dance with Sister Lily first. I usually lost to Yuno though. One day though, I'll be the victor!"

 _'Of course that'd be it...'_ Noelle thought sadly, although she tried not to let it show, "You know how to dance?"

"Yeah!" the swordsman replied excitedly, "Here, I'll show you!"

"Wait, what!?" the silver-haired mage yelled, let out a small "eep" as Asta grabbed her hand, pulling her up close to him, her hands landing on his chest in an attempt to brace herself.

His other hand placed on her waist, he began to twirl around with her, Noelle struggling to keep up with him and not step all over his toes. What the hell was this turn of events!? Her face turned bright red, her mouth dropped in a confused grimace, all the while Magna was watching with arms crossed and an entertained smirk on his face. She couldn't even look Asta in the eyes, yet also couldn't figure out a way to make him stop; this was crazy! How and why did this usual idiot know how to do such a fancy dance!?

After a few more twirls, he stopped and lifted their joined hands up in the air, spinning Noelle around and out, then back towards him, his arm bracing behind her back to bring her down into a short dip, earning a "uwah" like response, pulling her up and stopping with her hands once again resting on his chest.

They stood there silently for a moment, suddenly feeling lost looking at one another. While her face was flushed and expression a mix of confused and frustrated, her eyes were lit with a strange mixture of both joy and sadness. Despite her flustered state, she had to admit it was nice to be dancing around with Asta in such a manner. She never danced with anyone before, and while this was impulsive and usually unbecoming of a royal such as herself, the few moments they were spinning around were fun and she almost upset that he just suddenly stopped. Meanwhile, Asta was taken back by the expression of her eyes, but also realizing what he had done. He had danced with her, granted in a rushed and sudden manner, but still... he had grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. He was reminded again of what had happened before, of how close she was to him, how her hands rested on him as they were now, and then there was the kiss... he didn't realize it right away, but his eyes did linger a bit on her lips as he watched her.

Just as sudden as they were feeling lost did they realize their position, jumping back from one another in a flurry of "I'm sorry"s and flailing limbs. Magna let out a loud, boisterous laugh, clapping his hands, "That was well done, Rasta! Where did you learn how to dance?"

"I taught myself! Sometimes there was a person that would drop off old books to the church for us to read, and one of them was on different types of dances and their histories. I wanted to impress Sister Lily with them. Although I hadn't had the chance to show her yet; the last time I attended one of the dances she was sick and couldn't go," he explained, composing himself.

 _'That's not surprising... everything he does is for Sister Lily,'_ Noelle commented to herself, trying not to let any bit of her sadness or jealousy show.

"I see. Well, when we get to the village, you'll need to show me more of those moves! Wouldn't mind potentially dancing around with a pretty lady for one night."

"Yeah, sure! But I think we should actually get going to the village first."

"Let's meet up in front of the building in a half-hour. We'll head out straight from there," Noelle stated, earning two nods in return, as they went their separate ways to their rooms to gather their supplies.

* * *

Several hours later, the trio arrived in the village. Obviously a few more buildings were still being reconstructed, but this time the village was being decorated with arbors, ribbons, and colorful flora, along with decorations of the stars and moons. Despite the remnants of destruction still surrounding them, the villagers that were around them were all smiles and laughs, something that put the visiting knights at ease.

As they approached the opening gate, one man was there to greet them personally. He held an oak wood staff with a crescent moon at the top, dressed in a dark blue robe with silver stars sewn into its fabric. His emerald eyes were framed by light gray bangs and hair tied back into a bun. Dark lips were stretched into a smile as he made the motion to speak.

"Welcome, Black Bulls. My name is Teru; I'm the village leader," he stated, "It's my apologies that last time you came to our village, I wasn't here to greet you. I was in the capital procuring supplies for the festival. I heard of your efforts to protect our village however, and for that I wish to give you my deepest and most heartfelt thanks."

"My name is Magna, and this is Noelle and Asta," Magna replied, motioning to each person as he completed the introduction, "It was no trouble! The plants you gave us proved to be a great help! We're thankful to you all for what you've done as well."

"Truly? That's wonderful news! Then I look forward to a potential partnership with your squadron in the years to come. But that'll all be in time, I'm sure. For now, let's discuss things for the next two days," Teru stated, his voice cheery at the new knowledge, "For today, I would appreciate it if you would help us with some of our construction work. We have had many hands working on these projects, but with the festival coming closer, many of them have turned towards working and fixing up the necessities we need towards that. Of course, we'll also be providing you with the tools for the job, as well as shelter and meals. Tomorrow during the day will also have work, but come the afternoon we'll be starting to celebrate the Harvest Moon."

"Excuse me, sir, but what does this festival entail?" Noelle asked curiously, "We didn't get much information about that part of the request."

"Oh-ho, you'll be delighted, young lady!" the village leader stated with a laugh, "Starting in the afternoon, everyone will dress up in costumes that embrace the celestial theme of our event. We will set up bonfires on the beach as well as in the epicenter of the village, and light them up as the darkness starts to settle in. We start off the event with a huge feast, then as the moon lights up the sky we celebrate with music, drinks, and dancing. All to give thanks to the harvest that the Earth had given us, and in thanks to the Moon that settles the tides and illuminates the lake. Of course, how long you wish to party is up to you; some of us will stay up all night just to watch the Moon go back to sleep, but you three may want to leave out early enough the next day so I don't doubt that you may want to call it early for that reason."

"That sounds like a blast!" Asta exclaimed excitedly, with Magna nodding and Noelle secretly smiling at him.

"Oh-ho, I'm glad you think so! But until then, there's a lot of things to do! Firstly, let me lead you to the place you'll be staying at so you can drop off your supplies," Teru stated, turning around and leading them towards the village square, "My son and daughter-in-law have set up a space for the three of you to stay in their home. It may be a bit tight, but for two days I hope it'll be alright."

"It's quite hospitable for you to put us up at all, so thank you," Magna replied gratefully.

As they walked through the village, their eyes scanned all of the things that they never saw last time. Like how the buildings each seemed to have some sort of design etched into the bricks above the doors and windows – things like stars, leaves, or waves – or how the roads were made of bright, sandy yellow bricks. As they approached the village center, they noticed how the bricks were laid out in a colorful wave, circling around to where there was the setting for a giant center bonfire. While certainly the capital had flashier beauty and such, they were impressed by how lovely this village was set up, in waves of color and art that stood out yet also matched the nature that surrounded them. Around them, working and shopping and doing their usual routines, they could hear the happy laughter and conversations of its townsfolk, content with what the day was bringing and what was to come.

Yet, somehow or another Noelle was feeling nervous... for some reason, she felt like there were eyes on her, watching her, judging her... she probably shouldn't be surprised by it. After all, they were in a village far away from the capital; seeing someone from a royal house out here "in the styx" was probably a sight of surprise. Violet eyes scanned her surroundings; no one seemed that they were paying attention to her, yet she could still feel like there were whispers and views directed at her.

Suddenly she felt like someone was coming up behind her fast and she quickly turned around, her hands mere inches away from her Grimoire and wand. However, she froze when she saw that it was just a young girl, dressed in a light green gown with golden stars sewn into the long, sheer sleeves, golden sandals tied up over her shins, and poppy red hair tied up into a bun with a golden ribbon. The rest of the group also turned around to view the two of them standing face to face.

"What is it? Are you lost, little girl?"

"Excuse me... are you a princess?"

"W-what, a princess!?"

Teru's brow raised, then he laughed. "Oh, my child... This is my granddaughter, Anya. I had taken her with me to the capital recently and saw some of the royal houses during our trip. She believes that everyone from the royal houses must be princes or princesses, and has been going on and on about going back so she can meet them again," he explained, watching as the little girl shifted on her toes anxiously awaiting an answer.

He walked over to the child, her delight in seeing her grandfather obvious, as she hugged him and grabbed onto his robe. "Now, where did you come from? Where's Mommy?" he asked, patting her head.

"Mommy's over there! But I told her I was coming over here, so she knows! Grandpa, she looks just like the silver haired people we saw at the capital!" Anya explained, first pointing over to where her mother was, who was watching and waved when she noticed both of them looking at her, then at Noelle, "Doncha think so?"

"Silver haired people?" Noelle muttered, realizing that she must had been talking about her siblings.

"She does, Anya, but please don't point. That's not a polite thing to do," Teru scolded gently, although it didn't discourage his granddaughter's mood, "You are from House Silva, aren't you, Miss Noelle?"

"Yes sir, I am."

"I had thought so. Although... there's a different air about you than the rest of the house? A softer air."

 _'A softer air, huh?'_ Noelle thought, but it didn't do much to calm her heart... probably because she was so much weaker than the rest of her family, that she was the outcast, the failure, hopeless and pathetic... No wonder she would exhume a softer aura than the others of her house.

Asta could sense and feel Noelle's rising tension and frowned; she was doing it again, doubting and hating on herself because of her family's treatment. It, in turned, started to make him angry, but he knew better than to act. Subtly he moved a little closer to her, his fingers brushing against a hidden balled up fist, then gently unwrapping her fist just enough to link his ring finger with hers, giving it a small squeeze. Noelle's eyes turned towards him, widened slightly and her skin bristling at the feather-like touches. He smiled at her, and in the way he smiled and how his emerald eyes beamed at her made her heart race but her mind relaxed... Somehow he had that affect on her, the silly commoner... always able to find a way to help her calm down when she was ready to scream into the darkness.

Smiling, she squeezed his finger back, letting him know she was grateful and understanding of his motion. "Thank you for your compliment, sir," she replied professionally.

"So are you a princess, big sister?" Anya asked again, still waiting an answer.

"Well, uh..." the water mage began to say, although she was stopped by a pat to her shoulder.

"Yep, Noelle here is a princess!" Asta replied excitedly, then bringing up one finger to his lips, "But don't go letting that information get out there, okay? You gotta keep it a secret!"

"Ooo, a secret? Okay, I'll keep it a secret!" Anya replied with a joyful gasp, making a motion of crossing over her heart then covering her mouth with an "X" made with her pointer fingers, "I promise I'll keep it safe, big sister!"

The little girl turned her grandfather, pulling a bit at his robe, "Grandpa, can Noelle join us with making the decorations? Pretty please, Grandpa!?"

"If she wishes to, she may join you. But first, how about you help your old Grandpa get them settled into the guest room at your house? Can you go grab Mommy and have her come with us?"

"'Kay!" Anya exclaimed, running over to where her mother was to tell her the news.

Teru chuckled, "She can be such a handful. I hope you weren't too put off by her questioning, Miss Noelle."

"Not at all!" Noelle explained, waving her hands frantically in front of her, "I was just not expecting to be called a princess, that's all."

"I thank you for playing along with her little fantasy. Same with you, Asta. But come, let's get you settled in for the moment! There's only so much daylight remaining for work, after all."

As everyone began to walk, Noelle hung back just enough to walk alongside Asta. "Hey, Asta?" she whispered, leaning her head over slightly so he could hear her a bit better.

"Hmm? What's up Noelle?" the swordsman asked also in a whisper, one brow arched.

"What was that all about?"

"What, the princess thing? Well, it seemed like you were struggling with answering, so I thought I'd help. I'm sorry."

"No, not that, although I am grateful you stepped in on that... I was meaning... um... with you squeezing my finger?" she stuttered out, unsure of what to really call what had happened.

"O-oh, that!" Asta also stuttered out, a small blush starting to form on his cheeks, as his hands flung up to rest behind his head and him turning slightly to not look at her, "W-well, I could tell you were feeling upset again, so I wanted to make you feel reassured that everything was okay."

He looked down at the ground and very lowly let out a small mumble, "I hate it when you get like that, because you look better when you're smiling."

While Noelle was sure she wasn't supposed to hear that completely, she did and she promptly blushed; when did Asta get so shy about saying things? She never really saw him blush and act like an awkward teenager before, well, at least any more awkward than he was usually. She thought back to what had happened between them before and she turned away herself, bringing up her hand and ring finger up to her lips. "Thank you, Asta," she said softly.

Asta's eyes turned towards her, noticing her faint blush and soft smile hiding behind her hand, her violet eyes twinkling. He felt his heartbeat racing again; why was she making him feel this way all of the sudden? He didn't quite get it... he was supposed to be devoted to only Sister Lily! So why was it that he was wanting to take that hand of hers and hold it in his own?

He didn't have much more of a chance to think on it; they quickly arrived at the house they were staying at, with Anya's mother opening the door for them and leading them upstairs to a spare room with three bedrolls laid out on a carpeted floor. After settling down their supplies and a little more chatter on what they needed to do, they set off to do their work.

* * *

Asta couldn't deny that he was feeling exhausted. Granted, he'd work for hours and hours in training up his muscles, but there was something still exhausting about being in the sun and working on patching up a damaged roof. However, it also felt exhilarating, knowing that he was doing some good for the people of the village.

He brushed the sweat from his brow after hammering in another set of tiles, a wide grin on his face as he admired his work. He was careful on how he moved, not wanting to accidentally slide off the building, positioning himself to sit down and taking a small break. He looked out over the village, towards the epicenter, and seeing what else was being done.

His eyes namely landed on a large table that was set up with a bunch of what looked to be papers, glues, and scissors. He could make out Anya out of the crowd of children working around it, but also could see Noelle sitting there, working to make a long chain of cut out stars. While he couldn't hear anything from them, he could see that she was laughing along with the children, all of them seemingly admiring the fact that they were working with a "secret princess". Without realizing it, he was staring at her once again.

He didn't even hear Magna calling out for attention, not until he sent a small fireball at Asta's head, causing him to frantically move to put out the flames. "OW OW OW OW OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" he yelled out, turning around to face the senior Black Bull, although his mean face faltered as he felt himself sliding down the edge of the building and had to reposition himself very quickly to keep from falling.

"Haven't you been listening, you idiot? I said that I needed your help up here!"

"Oh! Sorry!"

Asta moved up towards where Magna was at, and did as he was told to fix the problem the fire mage was having. "Geez... what's been up with you today, Rasta?" he asked of the swordsman, "First this morning, and now this. What the hell is going on in that head of yours?"

"I don't really know," Asta replied honestly, noticing a patch of the roof that needed a bit more work.

Magna rolled his eyes, mumbling out another "you idiot" as he went back to work. For a bit they were quiet, but then Asta broke the silence. "Hey Magna...? Have you ever cared for someone in a more than a friendship way before?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?" Magna replied with a thick brow perked, but then delved into a devilish grin, "Oh, I see... is our Rasta is falling in love with someone? Thought your heart belonged to Sister Lily?"

"IT IS! Well... I think it is," Asta exclaimed, his voice tapering off as he continued to talk, "I thought it was. But lately I've just been confused."

Magna laughed, shaking his head with a smile, "Yep, that's first love for sure. You're surely growing up, Rasta!"

"You don't have to go off and tease me about it, Magna! This is really frustrating! I don't like this. I said I'd never give up on Sister Lily, so I don't get why I feel this way about No- err, this girl. But lately I've been wondering about her a lot. And I don't even know what to do about it."

Magna didn't respond, but continued to smirk to himself. He had his suspicions for awhile now, but this little conversation was proving him right: there was a spark of romance between the two newest members of the Black Bulls. A few months ago, that seed was planted thanks to a shocking outburst from Noelle, after she smacked Asta in the face and yelled at him about giving up his fruitless pursuit of the good Sister, and making a statement on how he had a better chance at marrying her, leading her to become very flustered and running away afterward. While it was a subject of chatter immediately after the fact, once Noelle had returned – along with himself, Asta, and Luck, having gone after her and subsequently saving her from a devilish magic user that attacked her – the conversation was dropped and not brought up again. However, after their last mission that brought them to this village, he began to suspect something more had started to develop between the two of them.

Although he was busy with the battle, he caught glimpses at the two of them that day, of Noelle working some sort of technique – later on, he learned that it was something called CPR – on Asta after she brought him back from the water. He could see bits and pieces of her stressed face, his strained look, and how she fought to keep him back as he started to stand up again. In the aftermath, as everyone was celebrating their return, he noticed but paid no real mind to Noelle leaving the hustle and bustle, but after Asta went after her to bring her back down for dinner and they returned together, he saw that their faces were more flushed than usual. No one else seemed to have paid attention, so he didn't comment himself, but he did wonder what could've happened to look like that.

Now it all started to make sense... whatever happened has started to change Asta's feelings towards her. The distractions, the long stares, the flustered screaming, combined with her own shy and tsundere-like reactions at times... it all started to fit together. It was almost sickening on how cute these two dorks were acting.

"Look, Rasta. I may not have much experience with the ladies as Finral, but I do know this: if you're starting to have feelings for this girl, you should tell her. Get it off your chest," Magna advised, "She may have feelings for you too, but you won't know until you make a move."

"Really? You think she might have the same feelings?" Asta asked, earning a shrug in return.

Asta turned around, going back to looking at Noelle one more time, then went back to doing his work. While he tried to keep busy, Magna eyed what he did, smirking again.

Suddenly, they all heard the loud voice of Teru echoing through the skies. "Everyone, please wrap up what you're doing. There are storm clouds on the horizon. Bring in everything that could be damaged in the rain, cover up the roofs, and head inside until everything passes by."

"Huh?" Asta questioned, unsure of what he was talking about as everything seemed sunny, until he looked over the lake.

Sure enough, far on the horizon, there was the hint of dark clouds approaching. While they didn't seem to be moving too fast, no one seemed to have wanted to take a chance on their timing, as the village went abuzz with people making sure everything was being brought in and protected.

"Well, guess that's it for the work today. Come on, Rasta, let's get everything covered up."

* * *

Within a few hours, the rains arrived. First they were light trickles, nothing too bothersome as people finished gathering their supplies, but soon picked up into heavy sheets, combined with loud claps of thunder and flashes of lightning. As soon as one storm passed by and the rain started to try and calm down, another one would shortly follow afterward.

For the three visitors, they found themselves a bit bored shortly after the rains began. They didn't quite plan for down time, so they really didn't know what to really do for themselves. Luckily, however, Anya and her family had back up plans. Her father took Magna and Asta to a nearby workshop where they could work on extra arbors and brick etchings, while Anya and her mother had Noelle help them further with some of the cooking and designs for the decorations.

Noelle was grateful for the distraction. In the quiet of things, she tried to focus on reading, but instead was distracted by Asta. She learned rather quickly that, when bored, he would do work outs. Crunches, push ups, things like that. There were one or two awkward times when he had asked for her to sit on his back as a weight during his training, which usually got him screaming and water in his face as an answer. He didn't ask this time, but he was still going hard at his work out and she couldn't resist peeking over at him from behind a book. She was amazed at how he was still able to work out despite spending hours in the sun today working on fixing roofs, and she couldn't help but faintly blush and stare as he counted quietly to himself to keep track of how many crunches he was doing.

"Big sister, how does this look?" Anya asked, holding up a chain of pink paper stars, glued together by the corners of each star to make the line.

"That looks really good!"

"Hey, which of these colors do you think Asta would like?"

"Asta? Hmm... probably the blue ones," the water mage replied, shuffling through the stack of colored paper, "Here we go! These are blue like his jacket."

"Okay!" the little girl stated, taking the paper and setting them aside her, grabbing one of her pencils and drawing the outlines of a star, "Hey, big sister? Do you like Asta?"

"Wh-wh-what!?"

"Anya, you know better than to ask questions like that!" yelled her mother from the kitchen irritably.

"I'm sorry Mommy! I was just curious..." Anya replied woefully, her lips forming into a pout.

"Wh-what would make you think that I like Asta?" Noelle asked with a small stutter.

"Well, when we were outside working, sometimes I see you looking over to where Asta was and you had this look on your face like you liked him."

 _'How does a girl this little know such a thing!?'_ Noelle yelled to herself, floored by the child's explanation, "And how do you know that?"

"Because you looked just like how Mommy would look at Daddy," she said simply, "And Mommy told me that when she looked at Daddy like that, it was because she liked him."

They heard Anya's mother laughing from the kitchen. "From the mouths of babes... I'm sorry, Miss Noelle. Anya, you shouldn't be making your guest so uncomfortable with such questions; it's not a polite thing for a young girl to do," she explained, leaning back to look into the room from around a wall of the kitchen.

"No no, it's alright!" Noelle stated, "I didn't even know I was looking like that... You're really observant, you know that, Anya?"

"A little TOO observant," the mother replied, although Anya just laughed not quite knowing what the word "observant" meant.

"I guess... I do like Asta, though... For awhile I've liked him too. But I think he likes someone else, so I just... haven't been able to tell him yet," Noelle said honestly, her fingers fumbling with the edges of her Black Bulls robe.

"I think he might like you too, big sister. I saw him! He looked at you like how Daddy looks at Mommy sometimes too!"

"Y-you think so?"

Anya nodded vigorously, "Mm-hmm!"

Softly, Noelle smiled, looking down at her hand and the finger Asta had squeezed earlier. She would be so delighted if Asta looked at her in the same ways she would look at him. If he could like her the way that she liked him... That sounded like a dream.

Suddenly, Anya jumped up and ran out of the room, startling both Noelle and her mother. Rumbling noises soon echoed faintly into the room, followed excited steps. She came around the corner holding a bunch of fabric in her hands. "You and Asta should wear these tomorrow!" she exclaimed, holding out the fabrics towards Noelle.

"Anya! Where did you find those!?"

"In the closet, Mommy! When you and Daddy were upstairs looking for things for the festival!"

"I swear, child... you weren't supposed to be going snooping! Oi..."

"What are they?" Noelle questioned, placing the pile of cloth on her lap and lifting up one of them to eye it further.

"These were the costumes my husband and I wore on our first festival together as boyfriend and girlfriend, way back when we were teens ourselves," the mother answered, "We thought it'd just be the hit of the village if we wore matching outfits. We wore them a couple of times after that as well, although we had gotten new ones after we had gotten married. For the longest time, we had them stowed away in our memory chest, although a few days ago we were talking about them and how maybe we should try and turn them into a special costume for Anya one day. I just didn't know she'd be hunting around them herself."

"I'm sorry, Mommy."

"It's alright... I know, you're a curious child. And it's not like we were hiding them from you; you know where the chest is, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you'd find them. But why did you bring them out now?"

"For them to wear tomorrow! Maybe if they wear them, something good will happen for them like what happened to you and Daddy!"

"My goodness... I'm really sorry again, Miss Noelle. But, if you two do wish to wear them, I don't mind and I know my husband won't either. It would be nice to see the costumes out and used again, not just hiding away in an old box. Of course, I don't know if they may fit you both or not; feel free to try them and see. If they don't fit, I know we'll find all three of you costumes by the evening. Everyone here surely has a spare costume or two."

Violet eyes continued to stare at the fabric, feeling it against her fingertips, then at the rest of it in her lap. She smiled at the idea of it... she and Asta wearing a matching outfit? As silly as it sounded, it also sounded like a lot of fun. And what a fond memory it could be to look back on... She chuckled to herself over it, lifting her head up to look at the two ladies staring at her.

"Thank you, both of you. I really appreciate this offer."

"Yay!" Anya exclaimed, jumping up and down for a few moments, "Now you and Asta just have to kiss and you'd be just like Mommy and Daddy!"

"Wh-what!?"

"ANYA!"

As Anya was scolded by her mother for such an "outrageous outburst" and was sent to the corner of the kitchen for punishment, Noelle could help but to continue to smile... _'A kiss, huh?'_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

That night, Noelle couldn't sleep.

For a few hours, the rain seemed to have subsided. However, shortly after everyone had started to head off to bed, another storm started to push through. Normally, she wouldn't mind it, but being on a strange bedroll in a place far from either place she considered home, it actually bothered her. She struggled to find some way to get comfortable so she could just fall asleep and ignore it, but nothing she did seemed to work.

She groaned quietly; she didn't like this feeling, not to mention she felt bad about it. She didn't know how heavy of sleepers Magna or Asta were; she didn't want to disturb them with her noises. She brushed back wisps of her hair from her face; she also hated how she was sticky with sweat and how her hair – down from its usual ponytails, as she's found sleeping in them causes her discomfort – wanted to cling to her skin annoyingly.

"Noelle?" came a whisper of her name.

She opened her eyes, trying to adjust them to the darkness. After a few seconds, she could make out Asta's face, and she knew that he was staring at her. "What's wrong?" he asked, trying to make sure his voice was kept quiet as to not wake up their other partner.

"... I just can't get to sleep. This bedroll is uncomfortable, and the storm is bothering me," she answered; she felt like she could be more honest in the dark when he couldn't really see her embarrassed expressions.

"Are you afraid of storms or something?"

A flash of lightning, followed by a thunderclap, caused her to flinch slightly. "No, I'm not. Well, not normally. Maybe because I'm not at home, I just can't ignore it," she replied, "Sorry I woke you up, Asta."

"It's alright. To be honest, I'm not really sleeping well either. I feel tired, but not tired. You know?"

"I guess?"

Noelle sighed, turning onto her back and sighing, closing her eyes again. However, she found herself feeling uncomfortable again and turned back on her side, resting one hand in line with her head and the other resting over her stomach. Asta couldn't see her too well, but could see some of her rustling around. He frowned; he could tell she was getting more and more frustrated, and knew that it wouldn't help her get any sort of rest if it continued.

He slid himself over inside of his bedroll to get a little closer to hers. She didn't react to the movement, thinking that maybe he was just shifting himself, until she felt his hand intertwining fingers with hers and another hand brushing through her hair.

"Wh-wh-what are you doing!?" she squeaked out, hard to keep her voice quiet, quickly covering her mouth after she spoke.

"Back at the church, a few of the kids were afraid of storms. The old man and Sister Lily would hold their hands and brush their hair like this to calm them down. I thought that maybe it might help you?" he replied, both of them blushing but glad neither could see it.

"Are you equating me to a child?" she replied, although she tried to make sure that she was joking; she understood his intention, but didn't want to quite admit to it yet. Besides, it was the dark of the night... there was no need to keep up the walls and appearances that she normally would, and she was very grateful for that.

"N-no, not at all! Just because they would use it on the little ones- I thought that maybe it would work on other people too- I didn't mean to insult you or anything!" Asta tried to explain, his voice also getting loud.

Noelle squeezed his hand, "I was joking, Asta."

"O-oh..." he replied, calming down, "You've never joked around like that before."

"Yeah... I guess I haven't."

Another loud thunderclap and flash of lightning filled the room and Noelle flinched again, her hand squeezing Asta's in reaction. For a moment, he could see her face. Her eyes were shut closed, she was biting slightly down on her bottom lip, and her brows were furrowed. His fingers brushed back her hair, over and over again in a gentle fashion, and he was bemused by how soft her hair was. He had touched her hair before, but it was usually just a small head pat. This time he could feel how light it was, and how it smoothly it flowed through his touches. As the sound and flash went away, he could start to see little bits of her face relax again.

"Hey... Asta?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you wish you were home with Sister Lily right now?"

"Huh?"

"Like... would you rather be back in Hage with her than here... with me? A-and Magna?"

"Hmm... Well... I always miss home and Sister Lily," Asta replied, "But I think what we're doing here is far better. We're Magic Knights, we do what we can for the people, right?"

Noelle sighed heavily. "That's not what I meant, but alright," she whispered far quieter than she had been speaking before.

"But right now? I'm glad I'm here with you."

"R-really?"

"Yeah."

"W-why is that?"

"Well... um..." Asta began, stuttering a bit, "Well... you're the person I'm closest to out of all of the Black Bulls. And besides Yuno and Sister Lily, you're probably the only other person I've ever really been close to. You're a lot of fun to be with, and I like going on missions with you all of the time. And I'm glad that I can be part of your first real festival. I'm looking forward to seeing how you react and how you'll enjoy it."

Asta could feel her eyes on him, waiting with baited breath for him to continue talking, and suddenly he felt like his throat was going dry. He licked his lips, "I guess... I wouldn't want to be at something like this without you."

A flash of light illuminated the room and he could see her eyes were wide open and her mouth was agape, but he couldn't make out anything further. She was stunned into silence, her heart racing fast that it was a surprise that he couldn't hear it. She couldn't believe her ears... he wanted to be here with her. _With her_ , not with Sister Lily. _Asta wanted to be with her._ She could barely contain her happiness; her lips formed a wavy smile and she tried her hardest not to let delightful tears form in her eyes.

"What about you?"

"What about what?"

"Do you wish you were here with anyone else?" Asta asked; if she was asking the same of him, there must had been a reason for it... right?

"...N-No. It's like you said... I've never been close to anyone else really before I joined the Black Bulls. Yeah, Mimosa would try sometimes, but it's not like we had that great of a relationship, and you've seen how my family treats me," Noelle answered wistfully, "I'm really happy that you're here, Asta."

This time it was his turn to feel his heartbeat race; hearing those words and how she said them filled him with such joyful yet confusing emotions. He thought back to the conversation he had with Magna earlier... could it really be possible that Noelle liked him in the same way that he was thinking he liked her? He wanted to ask her, and readied himself to ask her when a very loud clap of thunder rung out. Noelle flinched harshly, one hand going to her ear to cover it and the other squeezing Asta's hand very tightly. He squeezed her hand back just as tightly, whispering small "It's okay"s to her as he brushed through her hair again. As the noise and lightning passed through for the moment, she relaxed a bit again.

"H-hey, Asta?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you... keep holding my hand like this? Until I finally fall asleep?"

"Of course," Asta replied, "I'll be here as long as you need me, Noelle."

"Thank you," she replied, smiling as she closed her eyes again, subconsciously scooting closer to him without removing herself from her bedroll.

He watched for a few moments as she settled down, guessing she just wanted to finally try to go sleep now that she knew someone was there. Someone she was familiar with, someone she trusted, someone she cared... maybe tonight wouldn't be the right night to ask her what she felt for him. He sighed, snuggling himself into his pillow, closing his eyes and trying to get to sleep himself.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Magna was slightly awake, no thanks to that last loud rumble of thunder, and heard the last part of the conversation. He smirked to himself, amused by their interaction, but wasn't going to do anything to embarrass them right now... not that he'd really want to quite yet.

* * *

The next day, the storms caused some damage to parts of the decorations, but overall it was nothing that couldn't be fixed before the festival started in the afternoon. The trio got to work shortly after sunrise, helping to repair the damage to the decorations, set out tables, and whatever other work that was asked of them. They could feel the excitement building up as the hours ticked by. Before anyone knew it was time, they heard the call from Teru to wrap up the work and for everyone to place on their costumes and bring out the food and treats for the feast. Magna and Asta was fine at first at the new, but hearing the idea of costumes gave them pause: costumes!? They weren't prepared for costumes!

Luckily, Noelle and Anya had already prepared for that. While she had hers in her hand, Noelle made sure that Asta received the matching costume – she had to fight back the blush that she had, fully knowing of what she was attempting to do – while Anya and her father found one that fit Magna. In separate rooms, they changed into the costumes, set to meet up in the living room all together to head to the village square together.

First out was Magna. While the entire outfit was loose, he was happy with his costume: a black sleeveless shirt with a red wave design that made him think of flames, with black baggy pants and a red belt that was connected with a full moon buckle. Over the shirt he opted to still wear his Black Bulls cloak, and with a bit of make up, at Anya's insistence, had a red star drawn onto his left cheek.

Right as he came out of the room, Asta followed close behind. His headband was still the same, but he chose not to wear his cloak, while also having a red star drawn onto his left cheek. His costume was a dark blue sleeveless shirt, with an ivory half-moon on the chest surrounded by ivory colored stars, completed also with black baggy pants and a white fabric belt tied into a messy knot slightly askew to the right.

"Wow, you both look really nice!" Anya's father commented.

"I love your costume a lot, Asta!" Anya exclaimed, although she had a hard time trying not to spoil the secret about it.

"Thanks a lot!" Magna replied, "I'm grateful that you all had extra costumes for us to use."

"Yeah, this fits really great too!" Asta replied, tightening up the belt a little more, "Wonder what's keeping Noelle though? Is her costume more complicated?"

Just as he finished talking, Noelle and Anya's mother came down the stairs. "Wow! Big sister, you look so pretty, just like a princess!" Anya said with awe in her voice.

Everyone turned around to see Noelle and both her fellow Magic Knights were stunned into silence. Noelle's costume was dark blue just like Asta's, but in a dress with attached elbow-length sleeves that exposed her shoulders and a skirt that went down to her knees. The chest had a half-moon design, although flipped from Asta's design, with the skirt covered in the ivory stars. Her silver hair was tied up into a bun, just like Anya's hair, with a dark blue ribbon with white trim keeping it up. She didn't have a star placed on her cheek; instead a glimmer of sparkly make up was added to her cheeks and eye lids, acting as twinkling stars on their own.

"Wow, Ellie! You really look great!" Magna complimented, "Man, if the rest of the group could see you right now. What do you think, Rasta?"

"Y-yeah... you look amazing, Noelle," Asta replied, his voice more dreamlike in response, his eyes wide and mouth staying slightly opened after he finished speaking.

"Thank you everyone," Noelle replied with a smile, trying not to make it obvious that she was mostly trying to look at Asta.

"You two look like a perfect pair! Your outfits even match," Magna noticed, Anya grinning and giggling knowingly.

"Huh, I guess we do. That's kinda cool, huh Noelle?"

"What a coincidence, I guess? I think you look really nice, Asta. You clean up really well."

"Oh, really? Well, um, thank you!"

"Can we go to the festival now, pretty please?" Anya asked, jumping up and down excitedly now that the initial greetings were done.

"Yes, yes, dear. We'll leave out now. Do you want Daddy to escort you this year?" her mother asked with laughter in her voice.

The poppy-haired child shook her head, turning towards Magna. "Mister Magna, will you please escort me to the village square?" she asked in her most curtly voice, extending out her arm to him.

"Escort?" Magna replied, a brow raised in confusion.

"There's a custom here where everyone arrives in pairs, playing on the ideas of old when a man would escort a woman to a party or function. Of course, it's something that's modified for families and such to go in small clusters, not something necessarily reserved for couples or anything like that," the father explained, "For the last couple of years, either her grandfather or I would escort Anya, depending on her choice. This year, it seems, that she wants to be escorted by one of our special guest."

"I see! Well then, Miss Anya, I would be honored to escort you this evening," Magna replied, extending his arm down to her and grabbing her hand.

Her parents smiled as she skipped next to his side, both of them leaving the house and stopping just a few steps outside to wait for the others. They intermingled their arms together, following behind them and waiting for the last pair of people to come out.

"Well... um, I guess that leaves just us, huh?" Asta questioned awkwardly.

"Y-yeah, I guess so," Noelle replied just as awkwardly as he was.

Their faces lit up with a blush before Asta cleared his throat. He raised his bent arm towards her, and her eyes landed upon him curiously. "Will you please allow me to escort you to the village square?" he asked her, trying to act in the same curtly fashion that Anya was acting.

Noelle couldn't help but laugh softly to herself; acting a gentleman and being all chivalrous wasn't quite Asta's thing, and seeing him trying to do so for her was something she would dare call cute. He was out of his element, and in many ways so was she, and her own laughter was nearly a way to let out some of her nerves as well. As she linked her arm around his, she almost felt like she was being escorted out on a date... such a funny image, her and Asta dating! Although she did wish to herself that maybe one day that could be a reality... but what's to say that she couldn't just pretend it was for one night?

"Yes, you may," she replied, and suddenly Asta released a breath he didn't even realize he was holding... could he have really been nervous about her rejecting him? She had the right to, it's not as though they HAD to follow the tradition here, right? After all, normally she'd be pushing him away and calling him an "insect" or "Dumb Asta", but then he recalled last night and how he had held and touched her... Something between them here had started to shift, and it both made him happy but made his heart pound harder than he think he ever felt it pound.

They smiled at each other, trying to hide back their nerves, as they walked together out the door and alongside everyone else towards the village square. Their faces were still tinged red, yet with each step they felt themselves relaxing and calming down, their shy embarrassment turning into delightful laughter and chatter.

* * *

The festival went off without a hitch. The sunset illuminated the feast, where everyone watched as the children and teens put on little shows based around fairy tales and stories that they had grown up on, with music and light bits of dancing taking place in between. As the sun went down and the night sky began to take over, the bonfire in the middle of the square was lit, along with lanterns and candles, helping to brighten the town as the moon began to peek slowly over the lake's horizon.

As the bonfire began to heighten and grow stronger, villagers began to gather around it in a circle. "Hey, what's going on? Why is everyone going around the bonfire?" Asta asked, taking notice and directing everyone's attention towards it.

"Oh, it's time for the blessings dance!" Anya replied, standing up from her seat, "Every year, when the bonfire is roaring, we gather around it and do a special dance to say thank you to the moon and Earth and ask for their blessings again."

She grabbed at Asta's and Noelle's wrists, pulling them alongside her while motioning for Magna to follow suit, leading them to the circle, her parents and grandfather watching with a laugh at the confused yet curious expression on their guests' faces. Once in the circle, Anya positioned them for Noelle to stand in between Asta and Magna, with herself on Magna's other side.

"So... uh... what do we even do?" Noelle replied, now that they were in their positions.

"It's easy! Once the music starts, everyone bows or curtsies to the fire, then to the person on their left and then to their right. Then you connect hands like this with the person on your right," the child explained, showing with her hands how they rested flat against each other, "Then you spin around in a circle once, then move towards the person on your left and do the same thing. Then everyone spins around once, claps, and everyone moves two steps to the left around the fire."

She pointed to a brick on the ground that had a bright white star on it, everyone watching as a magic spell was cast on them to allow them to glow. "If you step on the bricks that are glowing, then you bow to the fire and leave the circle. Then you repeat!" she finished, "It keeps going until only two people remain. The star changes position as everything goes on, and the story is that if you're the last pair to remain, then that means you'll be extra blessed for the year!"

Anya turned towards her parents, waving at them. "Mommy and Daddy were the last pair to remain twice, they told me. The first time it happened, they got engaged and married the next year. And two years after that, they were the last ones and found out after that that they were going to have me. They told me that because they were the last ones to dance, they were blessed with the gifts of love and happiness," she said softly, "So I really believe that's true because they're always so happy."

"That's so sweet!" Asta replied, sniffling a bit at how touched he was by the story, causing Noelle to roll her eyes at him, although she kept a secret smile to herself.

Anya beamed, turning around as the music began to play. As instructed, everyone greeted the bonfire with their bows or curtsies, then turned towards their respective partners. Noelle first curtsied towards Magna, then to Asta, lifting her arm up and straightening her hand. Asta's hand met hers, much to both of their initial embarrassment, spinning around once before parting and continuing the dance with the next partner, everyone spinning and clapping before moving around the flames. Numerous eyes watched as the people that landed on the bricks gave their final bows and parted the circle, the glow of the stars fading for a moment and moving around as everyone started the next cycle.

The dance went on for a few minutes before Magna finally stepped on one of the bricks, causing him to exit, followed quickly by Anya after the next round. As the crowd began to diminish, both Asta and Noelle could feel their nerves starting to boil to the surface. What are the odds that the two of them would end up being the last pair of the dance? And what would that even mean for them? They weren't like Anya's parents... there was nothing romantic about them that would gain such blessings... right? They could feel their faces heating up as they went around in another circle, although neither could really tell.

As the bricks signaled another set of people leaving, it was down to just eight people and neither of them had been chosen to leave. The situation started to settle in more firmly, more intimately. Noelle's eyes tried to look away from Asta's gaze every time they met up for their dance, while Asta could feel his throat going dry and unable to speak in the way he wants to.

"This is pretty crazy, isn't it?" he asked dumbly, the only words he was able to get out.

"Y-yeah, I guess," she replied, not sure of what she could really say.

The dance came down to six people; they remained. As they came together again, their gazes met and they watched as the flames seemed to dance off of their orbs, and Noelle could feel her breath hitch in her throat.

"H-hey Noelle?"

"Yes, Asta?"

"I was maybe wondering if... well, um..."

The words lingered as they parted to complete the cycle again, which led to two more people leaving... it was just them and another couple. Their hearts began to race heavily as they realized how alone they were, even as they felt countless eyes watching them, waiting to see whom would be the last pair. "W-wondering what?" Noelle replied, trying to keep the conversation going, hoping it might be a distraction but knowing that it wasn't.

"If you... maybe-" Asta tried to get out the rest of his statement, but the view of her violet orbs staring at him waiting for whatever he is trying to state and the glow of the flame illuminating her made him stop.

It was just like that day when they kissed... And in the second, everything seemed to have slowed down, everything went quiet, leaving just the two of them alone in a sea of anxiety, nerves, heavy heartbeats, and wistful memories. "Asta?" she whispered, wondering why he had suddenly stopped talking.

"You're beautiful," he whispered back, making her breath hitch once again, her face turning beet red, those words making her heart practically jump out of her chest as she played them over and over and over again.

Suddenly they realized they had faltered in the dance and the glow under their feet signaled they had to part. Breaking from their reverie, they made their final bows to the fire then walked back towards their little group.

"Aww, you were so close to being the last pair!" Anya exclaimed sadly, "But that was fun, right? You two looked like you were having fun!"

"Y-yeah, it was a lot of fun!" Asta replied, scratching the back of his head, trying to laugh off the uncomfortable feelings that were settling in his stomach.

Noelle felt the same, reaching for a glass of water. From the corner of her vision she watched Asta sit down, Magna ribbing into him with quiet words that she couldn't hear, jumping slightly when she heard the swordsman yell at him to shut up. She brought the cup up to her lips and took a large swig of it, the coolness of the liquid soothing her throat, but doing nothing to calm the fever heat she felt all over her form. Even as the music started to change and people began to gather to dance to a different beat, all she could hear was his words echoing in her head. He called her beautiful... he had never said that to her before. Definitely not in the way he said it, with the way he stared at her... if she were alone right now, she'd swear she'd be screaming at the top of her lungs.

With attention moving back towards chatting and eating, she placed down her cup and quietly moved away from the crowds, walking through the town towards the cliffside and down towards the beach for some peace and quiet. She took notice this time of a pathway that led down to the beach, unlike last time where she had used her magic to help her get down in a hurry, taking off her footwear once she reached the sand. There were three smaller bonfires lining the beach, all burning brightly but not nearly as intense as the bonfire in the village square. The moon, while not too high up in the sky yet, was large and breathtakingly bright, reflecting off of the lake and its gently moving waves. She sat down a few feet from the shore, the water unable to reach her, yet she could feel very light bits of spray from time to time hitting her feet. She brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs, and stared out at the view before her, listening faintly to the music playing an upbeat song.

It hadn't been too long since she was on this shore, but this time there was a sense of serenity, and she felt herself becoming comfortable and at ease. The breeze lightly went past her, brushing back her bangs in small whispers, her toes playfully curling in the cool sand. Her lips curled into a genuine smile, and she let out a small, blissful sigh.

For several minutes, she sat there quietly, her vision settled on the horizon, her mind wanting to go blank but all she could really do was think about Asta. That knucklehead... even when she wants to just relax and do nothing, he creeps into her mind. She sighed; she was such a love-struck fool for that boy. Everything told her that she should give up this crush on him; after all, he was a commoner, a magicless idiot from the styx. Not to mention she knew that his heart was settled on Sister Lily... her fingers dug into her skin. Even after all of the moments of him blushing and staring at her, the touches of their hands, all of the kind words and shy compliments, she probably made no imprint on his heart beyond their kinship. After this night was done and they returned back home to headquarters, things would go right back to normal... nothing special, nothing different.

She sighed again, her eyes closing for a moment as she lowered her head, then opened again as she lifted her head. She shifted slightly, pulling her legs in a little closer. "Maybe I'm the idiot instead," she whispered, "I'm the one that decided to-"

"Hey, Noelle!"

She gasped, quickly snapping back to see Asta walking up behind her, although he was slipping a bit in the sand. "A-asta! What are you doing down here?" she asked shocked.

"Well, I noticed you were gone and I tried to find you. Someone said they thought they saw you come down here a bit ago, so I went to check up on you. Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all. I just wanted a break from all of the crowds and attention."

"Ah, I got it. I guess I can see that; I bet you're actually not too used to all of this, huh?"

"Not really."

"Taking a break sounds like a good idea though. Mind if I join you?"

"I-I guess not," the water mage replied, turning back around and going back to her sitting position from before while Asta sat down next to her, their bodies only a few inches apart from each other.

"Wow, the moon is really huge! And really bright. I don't think they needed the bonfires," he remarked, leaning back to rest on his palms, "I've never seen it like this before. Not even back in Hage."

"Yeah... You can't really see it like this in the kingdom, either. Or at least I've never seen it," Noelle replied in agreement, trying to keep herself from looking over at him.

Silence fell over them, neither able to figure out the best way to steer the conversation. They would try to sneak glances over at each other when they felt that the other wasn't looking, which only added to the weight of the silence. Noelle's arms tightened around her knees, fingers digging into her skin again. Asta straightened himself, lifting one leg and resting a bent arm on top of it, his other resting close to her body as if he wanted to reach out for her, but his hand kept formed into a fist.

He licked his lips, tilting his head away from her. "Well... how about that dance, huh? That was pretty fun!" he stated, trying to break up the quiet.

Noelle lifted her head and turned her gaze slightly towards him. "Yeah, it was. I guess there really are all types of dances," she replied, smiling softly, "Although that was a lot more spinning than I was prepared for. Are all dances like that?"

"Hmm... maybe? I only know a couple of dances, but all the spinning is really slow."

"I see."

Noelle sighed, her vision going back to looking at the moon, "I guess I can see why people can enjoy dancing so much. But I think I prefer the dance you brought me into back at home."

"Huh, really!?" Asta asked, turning to look at her with wide eyes.

"Well, I'm sure anyone else could've done it better than whatever that attempt you did was, but... yes. I thought it was more enjoyable," Noelle replied, her biting commentary made less harsh by her kind honesty.

Asta was stunned; what happened earlier was just a spur of the moment idea, a way to prove that he knew what he was talking about. He had no idea that between all of the flustered expressions and unsure noises that she actually enjoyed that impulsive dance. He watched as Noelle laid her chin atop her knees, her lips still formed into a wistful smile, her toes playing in the sand. His heartbeat began to pick up, and his throat went dry again; there it was, that feeling again. That feeling that has both confused and excited him over and over again. That feeling that maybe, just maybe, there was something more to his feelings for the young water mage than what there was before. That feeling that made him want to impulsively reach out for her, yet also want to hide away like an embarrassed child. Maybe it was as Magna said... could this be what it means to be "in love" with someone? He never felt like this towards Sister Lily, or at least not that he could recall... So was he actually, really and truly, falling for Noelle instead?

He could hear the music from the village turn into a slow tempo and he exhaled a held breath. He moved to remove his footwear, taking up Noelle's example. She eyed over at him for a moment as he did, but took no mind of it; after all, she did it, so why wouldn't he? However, when he began to stand up and brush off his clothes, she looked up to see him extending a hand down to her.

"Will you dance with me, Noelle?"

"Huh!? Wh-wha-what are you asking me to do!?"

He didn't say anything, and she was left speechless by his stern and determined look. Even though he was smiling at her, there was something there in his expression that meant he was growing serious yet also hopeful that he wouldn't be rejected. Her face heated up again, and she bit on her bottom lip for a second, trying to fight back her urge to squeal. She reached out her hand towards his, wrapping her fingers around it as he helped her stand up. She brushed off the sand from her dress before turning around to face him, positioning themselves the same way as they did with their first dance, and slowly to the faint tempo they began to twirl and move.

This time, however, there was no shocked expressions or gibberish tones. While Noelle struggled from time to time to not step on Asta's toes, their eyes remained on each other, both smiling softly at each other. Their faces were tinged pink, although it wasn't as noticeable in the darkness of the night, and their heartbeats were racing, but they were calm and happy as they moved around. Asta released his hand from her waist for a moment to twirl her around during a louder piece of the music, her costume flowing around her like water, before bringing her back into line, continuing their slow turns. She laughed very quietly, although "eep"ed after his hand returned to her waist, as if catching herself for her outburst. Yet Asta continued to smile; he really liked that laugh, that innocent and charming noise that he often didn't hear from her. She always tried to keep up her haughty and regal persona around everyone, but times like this, times when she lets her guard down and allows people into her world, they were the moments he found he enjoyed the most. And he was so happy that she was like this the most around him, especially now with how much he was starting to fall for her.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked quietly, curious of what could be on her mind.

"Yes, I am," she replied.

Asta felt relieved to hear that, his smile widening in response. Noelle's gaze turned away for a moment; she was used to his goofy, toothy expressions and usually she'd just roll her eyes, but this time it made her feel like butterflies were in her stomach. "Y-you're really good at this. I'm sure you'd be far better if you had a better partner. Like maybe Sister Lily," she commented, then instantly regretting the words that left her mouth.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"W-well, you said that back at home, everyone would fight to dance with Sister Lily... so that tells me that maybe she's a better dancer by experience," Noelle answered, despite her internal cries to shut up.

Their movements began to slow even more. Asta could feel his throat tightening for some reason. "Well, maybe, but what does that have to do with anything?" he asked cautiously.

"You learned all of this for her. I'm sure she would've loved to see what you've learned." _'Why am I saying these things!? Shut up, Noelle!'_

The grip on her hand was starting to tighten, and Asta could feel his heartbeat racing but not in the same way as before. Noelle didn't notice, her gaze still away from him.

"I'm sure once she danced with you for the first time like this, she'd make sure you'd be the first dance every time." _'Oh no... Stop this now! You're ruining this moment. You're going to push him away if you keep talking like this!'_

Their movements were almost completely stopped, although Noelle didn't really pay attention to it. An unsettling pit began to form in Asta's stomach.

"Actually, maybe a dance like this would've made her-"

"Why are you talking like this!?"

Asta's shout made Noelle snap her head back up and she was surprised to see his brows furrowed, his emerald eyes swirling with a mixture of anger and hurt. Her mouth fell agape and she could feel her eyes starting to water; what have she done?

"Okay, yeah, I learned how to dance for Sister Lily. But I don't care about dancing with her right now. I care about dancing with you. Honestly, I was hoping that sometime tonight I'd be able to dance with you like this too," he replied, his voice starting out loud and angry, but calming down as he continued his rant, "And hearing that you enjoyed this cemented that. That's why I wanted to do this right now. But hearing you speak like this, as if I wanted to replace you with her... I don't get it? It's like last night... I don't understand. I'm here with you, and I'm happy to be here with you right now. So why are you so fixated on whether or not you think I'd prefer being with Sister Lily?"

"I... um... I just-" Noelle tried to speak, but couldn't get the words to come out.

Her mind played images of the last time she spoke out like this, and everything that was so wonderful and amazing has turned hazy and dark. Her body began to quiver and her eyes began to shed tears, and all her feet wanted to do was run away. Asta could feel her wanting to move away, but he wouldn't allow her to do so. She released her hand and brought his hand up to her cheek, brushing away the tears.

"Asta... I'm..."

"Don't cry, Noelle, okay?"

She brought a hand up to her face and rested it on his hand, her other hand resting on his chest gripping at his shirt as if she was using it as a way to keep her grounded and unable to run away. They continued to stare at each other; Asta's eyes began to cool now that he had gotten out his words, while Noelle did her best to stop the tears that she kept wanting to let go. Silence came over them again, save for the change of the music's tempo. It started to pick up, much like their synchronized heartbeats, and they felt themselves starting to move again. Their hands intertwined and they continued their dance, their steps aligning with the beat of the song. The feeling of the dance had changed... while when they started was peaceful, there was something more in the closeness of their forms this time. Something in what had happened began to turn the dance into something more from a fairy tale, a more romantic idea...

As the song began to reach its end, so did their dance. He released her to bring her into one last twirl before moving to bring her into a small dip, then bringing her back up to having her rest close to him. His arms lingered around her waist while her hands rested on his chest, their eyes meeting in a satisfied and happy gaze. Not a word was said, not a word needed to be said, they just needed to be...

As they stared at one another, they didn't realize how their eyes began to grow closed, or how their bodies began to lean in closer to each other. Her hands began to move slowly up his chest to his shoulders while his arms wrapped around her tighter as he subtly tried to bring her closer. Their lips drew closer to one another, mere seconds from reaching each other-

"Hey, Rasta, Ellie! Where are you two!?"

"Big sister, Asta!"

The sounds of their names being yelled broke them from their reverie, causing them to jump quickly away from each other in a strong fluster. They looked up to see Magna and Anya looking for them over the cliff, although they didn't quite see them yet, then turned back towards each other. Despite themselves, they began to laugh. "I guess we should get back, huh?" Asta asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," Noelle replied, walking back to where her footwear was and picking them up.

Asta did the same before they turned to walk back. However, before they started to walk back, he grabbed Noelle's hand in his. She squeaked a little bit at it, but relaxed quickly and squeezed his hand back. They walked back together in silence, but there wasn't a feeling of awkwardness or regret. Instead their lips were formed into private smiles, their hearts still racing but their minds filled with happy and serene thoughts.

* * *

The next morning, the trio left out after a hearty breakfast and a long goodbye. Anya was in tears, hating that they were leaving so soon, but Noelle made her the promise that they'd return some day to visit and play, which made the child very happy. By the afternoon, they had returned to the Black Bulls headquarters, to which they were pestered with questions about how the festival had gone. Finral suggested his own jealousy of the mission, wishing he could've gone and danced with a pretty lady, while Charmy wanted to taste the food that Asta described. After a bit, everyone went back to doing their own things, leaving the trio alone to their own devices and everything was back to their usual normal.

Later that day, Noelle exited her room, wanting to return a book she had read to the little library and gather another one. As she walked past the training room to get to the little library, she saw Asta in there doing a set of push-ups. For a moment, she stopped and watched him, her face lighting up with a small blush. Asta sensed that someone was there and he stopped to look up, his lips forming his usual large, goofy grin.

"Hey Noelle! What are you up to?"

"O-oh! I was going to grab a new book to read when I heard groaning so I wanted to make sure everything was okay. Didn't know it was just you."

"Sorry about that. Hey, wanna be a weight for me this time?"

"What is with you asking me that!?" she screeched, nearly dropping her book, "That's not something you should ask a lady to do!"

"S-sorry about that! Never mind!" Asta replied quickly, preparing himself for the rush of water that comes after the yelling.

The water never came. Instead, he heard her sigh as she took steps into the room, standing in front of him. He blinked as she moved around to his side, then grinned as she awkwardly grimaced and sat down on his backside gently, trying not to actually hurt him. She let out a loud noise as he started to do another set of push-ups, continuing his count again.

For a few moments, Noelle's lips remained in a wavy, unsure line, but as she got used to the motion, she began to smile. Her hands rested on her lap, opening up her book to re-read the first chapter. Her eyes would sometimes turn back over to look at the back of Asta's head, sometimes leaning a little bit to see his face. She could see that he was still smiling, despite how hard he was going at his work out.

Her expression softened; everything went back to normal, but her feelings still remained. After all of the dances, the contact, the words... it cemented to her that her feelings for him were not a mistake, that she wasn't an idiot for them. She was happiest now when she could be near him, just like this, and by his side she planned to remain. While she wasn't too sure on what he was feeling for her, and has wondered even if they did kiss would that have changed anything, she knew what she was feeling clear as day.

 _'I love you, Asta.'_

 _ **-end-**_


End file.
